The Road Comp Boa is comfy, fits great, and can be used for anything from mellow cruises to fast crits

The Road Comp line sits in the sweet spot for most road riders. At $120 it’s relatively affordable and offers a nice blend of performance and comfort with low weight. You can wear it for a casual cruise or hammer in a weeknight crit. The Boa system on this model offers great convenience—allowing you to easily cinch down the laces and make small adjustments to dial in a good fit.

The Scott Road Comp Line
If you prefer another closure, Scott has you covered. In addition to this Boa option, the Road Comp also comes in a version with laces (270 grams) that allows you to really fine-tune the fit, and one with three simple, reliable Velcro straps (285 grams). Both models cost $120. Scott also offers two women’s versions (Boa and Velcro closures, but no lace option) that weigh and cost less.

It’s All About the Boa Closure
The Boa system stands out on this model. It uses a small dial to pull overlapping cords (that are similar to laces, but stronger) tight. Because the dial pulls the laces taut, you get a good fit without hot spots. And unlike laces, the dial won’t work itself free. It also makes it easy to get even, miniscule adjustments in tension. Amazingly, the Boa dial adds only about 10 grams over the Velcro system.

The Boa system is light, simple, easily locks in your foot. Image courtesy of Scott

A Quality Sole and Good Fit
The heart of the Road Comp Line is Scott’s fiberglass and nylon sole. It’s moderately stiff (Scott says it’s a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10), so you still get decent power transfer, but also a little flex, which can reduce hotspots on longer rides. The shoe’s polyurethane upper is comfortable and cradles the foot nicely.

The Comp Boa has firm yet comfortable insoles that support the arch well and have a small metatarsal button that is raised just under your foot. Both feel supportive and can help relieve foot fatigue on longer rides. There is ample venting on the forefoot.

Ride Impressions
The Road Comp Boa does many things well and should satisfy most riders. Its blend of low weight, effective closure, decent stiffness, and superior comfort is hard to beat at this price.

The nylon and glass sole is less stiff (and slightly heavier) than full carbon fiber options, but that’s not a complete negative. The material choice keeps the price down, and some riders won’t notice all the benefits of an ultra stiff sole, anyway. The Road Comp is firm enough to direct your energy into the pedals without feeling vague or mushy. And the slight give can help limit foot fatigue than can happen with stiffer soles.

Scott claims the sole ranks a 6 out of 10 on the stiffness scale. Image courtesy of Scott

The Boa closure works well. On this model, it’s paired with one Velcro strap across the forefoot. You can get a very secure fit, easily. And simply pulling the dial outward releases all tension when you want to slip off the shoe in a hurry.

More expensive shoes often use two dials to get an even more precise fit. With just one, the tension can be uneven, but you still get a solid secure fit with this setup. If you’re looking for a more precise fit (and are willing to put in a little more effort to achieve it), check out the Road Comp with laces.

The shoe felt comfortable, thanks to a good amount of padding around the ankle. Once the shoe was locked down, I felt little slipping or sliding around the heel. The shoe’s pliable outer conforms to the foot well, and the relative low weight made the shoe feel like it was barely there, even when standing on the pedals to carry momentum over a low rolling hill.

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